Los Angeles
Deputy District Attorney David Berger has publicly acknowledged that he has
been pseudonymously blogging under the moniker of “Joe Friday” and presides
over the anti-Carmen Trutanich website “Los Angeles Dragnet.”

He
bared his identity—a secret that had not been closely guarded—on Fox 11 Wednesday
night, in an interview with anchor Jeff Michael.

Berger
was a candidate for Los Angeles city attorney in 2009. Losing in the primary,
with less than 14 percent of the vote, he became a supporter of Trutanich in
the run-off with then City Council member Jack Weiss.

When
Trutanich became city attorney, Berger became a special assistant to him, on
loan from the District Attorney’s Office. He abruptly left for unspecified
reasons, and is now an outspoken critic of Trutanich.

Michael
asked Berger (which rhymes with “merger”) if he is merely a “disgruntled
employee.”

He
responded that many have become disenchanted with Trutanich, including District
Attorney Steve Cooley.

“Is
he disgruntled?” Berger asked rhetorically. “No.”

Why
does he oppose Trutanich, Michael queried.

“Because
the man is a liar,” Berger answered. There’s no two ways about it.

“Everything
he’s done from the moment he started his campaign, it’s been untruthful.

“The
man hasn’t got it in him to tell the truth about anything—even the number of
people who watch his campaign video. He has to buy hits on that to say he has
three-quarters of a million.”

Berger
recounted that Trutanich had pledged, in running for city attorney, that he
would serve two terms (if reelected) “and not use the office as a stepping
stone.” He said Trutanich has justified “going back on his word” on the basis
of Cooley having decided not to run for a fourth term, remarking:

“That
is just an explanation. It is not an excuse.”

He
credited Trutanich with being “an extremely good con man” and “the consummate
politician.”

Berger
termed Trutanich account of having been shot at by gang members while a deputy
district attorney “BS.”

•Mario Trujillo, a deputy
district attorney who bowed out of the DA’s race and shortly afterward endorsed
Los Angeles City Attorney Carmen Trutanich for the post, yesterday said in a
e-mail to his former campaign supporters:

“
‘The Most Suitable Candidate for the Latino Community’

“Dear
Friends,

“That’s
what La Opinión said about my friend, Los Angeles City Prosecutor Carmen
Trutanich, when they endorsed him.

“Since
I gave Carmen Trutanich my enthusiastic and wholehearted endorsement, countless
other Latino leaders have joined me, including California Assembly Speaker John
A. Peréz, California Governor Jerry Brown, and the Los Angeles County
Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO, and many more.

“We’re
all supporting Carmen Trutanich because he’ll bring a fresh approach to the
District Attorney’s office—one that focuses on crime prevention, education,
alternative sentencing, and after-school programs that keep kids from joining
gangs.

“In
addition to the endorsement of La Opinión, Carmen Trutanich has also won
valuable endorsements from the Latin American Law Association (La Ley), the
Mexican American Bar Association (MABA) PAC, and the National Nonpartisan
Latino Peace Officers Association for Law & Order (N.N.L.P.O.A.).”

Trutanich
has garnered Latino support in the wake of his siding with Los Angeles Chief of
Police Charlie Beck’s policy against impounding vehicles of unlicensed drivers
when the licensed owner shows up to claim the vehicle.

The
bilingual Eastern Group Newspapers have also endorsed Trutanich, while the Los
Angeles Newspaper Group’s Impacto is jointly backing Deputy District Attorney
Alan Jackson and Chief Deputy Jackie Lacey, and the Metropolitan News Company’s
Nuestra Cominidad is urging the election of Jackson.

Trujillo’s
e-mail has this postscript: “If you’re interested in joining me by attending a
fundraiser for Carmen Trutanich, this Friday, June 1st from 5:30PM- 7:30PM,
please contact Christina Kegeyan at (310) 597-0830.”

•The San Fernando
Valley Bar Assn.
is offering members a free lunch and a talk on “Building Your Practice Via the
Web.”

The
event is scheduled for Thursday and will take place at the SFVBA offices at
21250 Califa St. Suite 113, Woodland Hills.

“Dave
Hendricks is back again with critical tips and suggestions on how to market
yourself and your firm via the Web,” the meeting announcement says.

Hendricks
is an Internet marketing consultant.

Reservations
can be made by telephoning Linda at (818) 227-0490, ext. 105, or e-mailing
events@sfvba.org.